Clark clarifies stand on Iraq war, compares President Bush to Nixon

Jim VandeHei, Washington Post

Published
4:00 am PDT, Friday, September 19, 2003

2003-09-19 04:00:00 PDT Hollywood, Fla. -- Wesley Clark, the latest entrant in the Democratic scramble for president, said Thursday he probably would have voted for the congressional resolution last fall authorizing war.

Clark, a retired army general, said his views on the war resemble those of Sens. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and John Kerry, D-Mass., both of whom voted for the war but now question Bush's stewardship of the Iraqi occupation.

"That having been said, I was against the war as it emerged because there was no reason to start it when we did. We could have waited," Clark said during a 75-minute media session.

His statement on the war resolution put him at odds with former Vermont Gov.

Howard Dean, whose stock has soared among Democratic activists in recent months, on the strength of his anti-war position.

Relaxed and chatty, Clark portrayed himself as a different kind of Democrat,

one without strong partisan impulses.

He said he probably voted for Richard Nixon in 1972 and backed Ronald Reagan. He started considering himself a Democrat in 1992, when he backed fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton.

Clark compared Bush to Nixon in abusing his power to bully Congress and U.S.

allies. "This is an administration which has moved in a way we have not seen any administration since Nixon to abuse executive authority to scheme, manipulate, intimidate and maneuver," he said.

On domestic issues, Clark remains largely undefined. He will be put to the test next week, when he plans to participate in a Democratic debate in New York.

He said he supports universal health coverage that includes preventive care and a freeze on Bush's tax cuts that have yet to take effect for people earning $150,000 or more.

Although he said he supports banning assault weapons, he was uncertain of what the Brady gun law does -- and if it needs to be changed. The law requires background checks and waiting periods for gun buyers.

"I support the Second Amendment. People like firearms, they feel secure with firearms, they should keep their firearms," said Clark, who's been shooting guns from a young age.

Clark, who said he does not consider homosexuality a sin, said the military needs to reconsider the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays. He suggested the military should consider the "don't ask, don't misbehave" policy the British use.